


Born Aflame

by Sunnycup_Soo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Depression, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 03:31:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12356535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunnycup_Soo/pseuds/Sunnycup_Soo
Summary: Jongin and Chanyeol couldn’t save an innocent life. Chanyeol blames himself.





	Born Aflame

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii. This is a new ship for me to write, but I thought it was the best pair when it came to the idea I had. 
> 
> This fic is loosely based off a song called Flame by Tinashe.
> 
> I recommend you give it a quick listen before you read. You don't have to, though.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it!

_ Cold in the night when I hold you close _

_ Searching your eyes, but you’re gone like a ghost~  _

 

The atmosphere mimics frost on a winter’s night.

 

Jongin finds it hard to tame the hairs that extend from the goosebumps on his skin.

 

The air conditioner runs on and on, much harsher than the breeze that ventures to cool the air on the outside. It is the middle of the summer, after all. Usually, Jongin would whine (fraudulently, of course), until Chanyeol would mutter an “aigoo” under his breath before wrapping the other in his arms to warm him up.

 

Jongin would smack Chanyeol in the chest, giggling a “yah...too warm,” whenever the taller male’s skin began to overheat.

 

Chanyeol would chuckle and squeeze a bit tighter.  “Am I too hot for you to handle?”

 

Now, Chanyeol’s skin doesn’t warm at all. Jongin stares at his bare back. His eyes trace over the battle scar from a wound healed long ago. It reminds him of the valiant nature that is now hidden beneath his partner’s desolation. 

 

They are lying in bed, and Jongin is freezing. Hesitantly, he lets his hand find Chanyeol’s shoulder. The other flinches, but then softens at the touch. Jongin thinks he might have imagined it because soon after, Chanyeol’s  muscles tense under cold fingertips. Jongin wishes it were enough to get him started again. 

 

It’s been seven days since they lost an innocent for the first time.

 

They aren’t perfect. But Chanyeol had always taken their responsibility with no qualms.  _ This can’t be about us. Innocents come first .  _

 

Jongin inches closer. He presses a kiss against the other’s neck. “Look at me.”

 

Slowly, the other turns around to face him. It shocks Jongin that the request is followed so easily. Chanyeol hasn’t looked at him in seven days. However, Jongin knows the other only blames himself. 

 

In actuality, the fault lies on no one besides the gunman.

 

Chanyeol’s expression is blank. Jongin cannot read him at all. The dimmed lighting of their bedroom does not help. Jongin tries to smile at him; small, but sentimental. He only wants to be encouraging. Chanyeol blinks once, and Jongin searches his eyes for something. Anything. 

 

He blinks again. Jongin wipes a stray tear that falls from the other’s cheek. Chanyeol’s lips quiver.

 

“It’s all my fault.”

 

“It's not. I promise,” Jongin reassures. “You tried your best.  _ We  _ tried our best.”

 

Chanyeol winces at his words. “Its naive to think this would last. My powers were meant to destroy. I only serve to destroy,” he says, bitterly.

 

His skin is so cold.

 

“Your powers have done a lot of good, though.”

 

Chanyeol releases a shuddering breath. Three more tears fall. Two, consecutively from his right eye, and one smudging into the pillow from his left one. “Not this time.” He turns away.

They aren’t perfect.

  
  


_  And I said baby you can put it on me. _

_ Cause I know I don’t make it easy~  _

 

The weather outside is awful. 

 

There is a storm invading the skies and lashing out at the land below. Lightning strikes before the delayed roll of thunder comes lashing out in full volume. The rain knocks against the window as if the drops are made up of wooden pellets. Somehow, it is almost relaxing.

 

Jongin supposes that any sound comforts him as a distraction to fill the quiet of their apartment. Jongin isn’t much of a talker, but Chanyeol has always been capable of saying enough words for the both of them. 

 

Chanyeol has been out of work for a little bit more than a week. He spends his time lying in bed. Sometimes he sleeps, and sometimes he lies awake with his headphones on as he stares at the ceiling. Sometimes, his attention, albeit unfocused, is toward their window that Jongin tries to keep open in an effort to soothe his boyfriend. Much to his dismay, Chanyeol often and randomly gets up to close it. It’s as if he's finally realized what he’s been looking at, and has decided he doesn’t like the view.

 

Today, Jongin has left the window closed. Chanyeol is lying on his side, staring out at the rain as if it has the answers to all of his problems. Jongin pensively watches him from the doorframe before going over to him. He tentatively kneels beside him on the mattress, a gentle hand left to rest on the other’s bare shoulder. Chanyeol remains shirtless most of the time. Jongin thinks he stays like this to punish himself using the presence of the cold.

 

“Babe,” Jongin says, softly. He leans down to kiss the other on the cheek. His lips linger there with the hope that if he stays for long enough, it’ll be enough to burn through Chanyeol’s skin, and remind him of how warm he truly is. 

 

Chanyeol only seems half present. “Hmm?” His attention still stays on the rain outside.

 

Jongin presses another kiss to his cheek, then trails down to his neck, and back up to his ear. “I know you’re angry, right?” The hairs on Chanyeol’s nape begin to stand. “You’re angry at the man who shot him, at yourself, at me-”

 

Chanyeol moves, then. Turns his head so fast that his cheek smacks Jongin in the chin. “I’m not,” he says, and Jongin begins to get the chills. The intensity in his eyes have become fierce, and it makes Jongin glad he could pull  _ something   _ from him. “I’m not mad at you. You don’t- you know I’m not.”

 

“I’m not going to let you blame yourself. I was there, too. I had a job to do, too.”

 

Chanyeol’s bottom lip quivers for a second, and then he frowns. His eyebrows furrow to match pouty lips. “Don’t. Just leave it alone.”

 

Jongin pulls at Chanyeol’s shoulder so he’s lying on his back. He climbs on top of him, knees anchored on either side of his body. He brushes a strand of hair out of his lover’s face, and keeps his fingers tangled above his scalp. His other hand rests on Chanyeol’s chest  . “We’re a team, Chanyeol. We’re not perfect. It's okay to be angry with me as much you’re angry with yourself.” He can feel Chanyeol’s skin begin to warm under his fingertips.

 

“Jongin,” he warns, flipping them over so their positions are switched. “You do not want to test me right now.” He’s got his hands wrapped around Jongin’s wrists, and to Jongin, it feels good. This is a start.

 

Jongin leans up to kiss him, and Chanyeol lets him. His lips are still kind of cold, and chapped. Still, Jongin relishes in it, not having had this much of a response of any kind from his partner in a long time. He pulls away and lets his head fall against the pillow. “You’re cold, and I burn,” he recites. Jongin watches Chanyeol’s face as it morphs from confused, to apprehension. 

 

It's a lyric that is a favorite of Chanyeol’s from a song by The 1975. Chanyeol always told Jongin it reminded him of the other because of the lack of enthusiasm Jongin seemed to possess when they were first acquainted. And it wasn’t as if Jongin didn’t like Chanyeol. The thing is, Jongin was never really good at people, let alone new people. He’s awkward, and at the time, preferred to stick with himself and the people he had already become comfortable with. But Chanyeol has always been so warm, and that temperature radiated off of him in more ways than one. Since they’ve been together, saved the world together, another side has come out of Jongin. One that is quick to be unreserved when he needs to be.

 

Even besides that, he’s still far less extroverted between the two of them, and that is why they work. 

 

His eyes almost look like they’re pleading when they look into Jongin’s. He bites his lip, then lets out a stuttering breath. “I just.. I just wish…”

 

“I know,” Jongin says. He manages to reach up, and run his hand through his lover’s hair with the grip still around his wrist. “Everything that you feel,” Chanyeol tries to let go of his wrist, but Jongin takes his hand, and clutches it tightly, “take it out on me.”

 

“But I don’t want to hurt-”

 

Jongin shushes him with a kiss. Chanyeol’s lips are cool, and Jongin makes it his goal to warm them up. Soon, Jongin’s mouth is burning, kiss searing. Chanyeol pulls away, looking at his boyfriend through blown eyes and flared cheeks. Jongin likes this look on Chanyeol. He misses it even. His lips are swollen, and Jongin wants to cause more damage to put an end to poison that has been brewing inside of Chanyeol’s frozen exterior. 

 

In a second, Jongin is gone before Chanyeol’s eyes. “I don’t want you to hold back,” Jongin says from somewhere in the room. He’s standing behind Chanyeol, at the edge of the bed. He watches as Chanyeol’s turns to look at him, surprised. He is never prepared when Jongin uses his powers on him. Jongin takes his time undoing the four buttons of his long sleeved, fitted henley. He pulls it over his head, carelessly tossing the garment on the floor beside him. Chanyeol’s jaw slightly unhinges, his lips parting at the sight. 

 

Another moment, and Jongin is back under Chanyeol, between his parted knees. He sits up onto his elbows, his tanned chest on display. Jongin’s plush lips are just as swollen, and he takes it upon himself to bite them. Reaching up, he softly tugs on his boyfriend’s lower lip with his thumb. “Do it,” he breathes, chest heaving. “Take it out on me, baby. Please.”

 

So Chanyeol does. 

 

He lets it all go the way Jongin wants him to. The way Jongin begs him to as he’s fucked into the mattress that night. Even the tears that spill from Chanyeol’s eyes singe Jongin’s skin, doing nothing to cool the heat. Jongin cries, too. The pillow beneath him soaking it up as he’s held down. They go at it for hours, even after the rain has stopped, and the clock renews the sky’s schedule. 

 

Still, Jongin knows this isn’t the answer, nor is it the end.

  
  


_ Tell me that you’ve still got the flame (for me)~  _

 

Chanyeol is still distant. More than he’s ever been. More than Jongin could ever imagine him to be.

 

Jongin remembers a time where he could read his boyfriend like he was reading the sign on a large billboard. And it's because there was always so much to receive from Chanyeol. He was always present, and always full of something. Chanyeol absorbed the environment around him like a sponge. But he was also good at channeling whatever energy that came to him, whether it be negative or positive. Things were always vibrant with him, but never out of control. Jongin now wonders if there is anything in him at all.

 

Chanyeol has lost his spark.

 

Jongin’s afraid he might have made him sorry. Chanyeol still barely looks at him.

 

Losing the innocent is hard for Jongin, too. But he knows he has Chanyeol.

 

Except he doesn't.

 

And Jongin isn’t foolish enough to think they can continue to have sex and make things better. They do talk more, now. Chanyeol showers, and spends more of his day on their patio balcony outside of the living room. At first, Jongin feared the worst. He kept his eye on him at all times. Chanyeol would just look down below at the street, and there’s no telling what his focus was on. After three days of this, Jongin let him be, and instead, used the time to clean their bedroom, and change the sheets. 

 

Chanyeol is also finally allowing himself to finally eat actual meals, though, he won’t finish them. Jongin can’t either. They still don’t talk much.

 

Jongin fears his flame may really be burning out.

  
  


_ And tell me that you still want to stay, don’t leave~  _

 

Somehow, Jongin runs a bath, and gets Chanyeol to join him. Being the shorter of the two, he’s got his back pressed against his boyfriend’s chest, head leaning back onto his shoulder. “When I get out, can you sit up a little bit?”

 

Chanyeol is warmer than before, but still cold enough to modulate the temperature of the water.  “Okay,” he mumbles back. His voice is so deep, Jongin can feel the vibrations in his own chest. He knows that Chanyeol knows what he’s about to do, familiar with the routine.

 

In a second, he is standing outside of the tub. Chanyeol sits up, and blinks. Jongin is in his lap again, this time facing him with legs loosely wrapped behind his torso. Jongin reaches for a bottle of shampoo, and squeezes some of the fruity content in his hand. Gently, he massages it into his boyfriend’s hair. Jongin has missed this.

 

“Maybe this wasn’t meant to be,” Chanyeol says.

 

Jongin’s hands freeze momentarily before he reminds himself to continue massaging his boyfriend’s scalp. Chanyeol’s hair is typically a maroon color, dark and soft, but striking at the same time. It has faded these days. Now, it is paler, resembling a greyish pink. “What does that mean?” he asks, calmly. 

 

Chanyeol’s gaze is strong, but timid. “It means everything. This life, these powers…”

 

“You don’t really mean that,” Jongin tells him. He reaches behind him for the detachable showerhead that’s been left unhooked at the edge of the tub. “Lean your head back, a little.” Chanyeol follows the order, and Jongin begins to rinse the shampoo from his hair.

 

“I don’t want to lose you.” Chanyeol’s eyes are turned upward, towards the ceiling. Jongin heart breaks as he studies his face, trying his best not to get any soap in his eyes. Chanyeol’s bottom lip wobbles, again. “I can’t lose you.”

 

Jongin sets down the shower head, and wraps his arms around Chanyeol. “You won’t. The only way you’ll lose me is if you leave first. And even then, I’ll always find you.”

 

And it isn’t just Jongin that Chanyeol shouldn’t let go of. It’s his life, and his destiny. Their destiny. Jongin wants to remind him of what he’s made of. 

  
  


_ Even though I’ve never given up in my heart _

_ Even though the better part of me don’t work~  _

 

Jongin never has and never will give up on Chanyeol. But for the both of them, some days are harder than others.

 

Chanyeol is in the shower, and Jongin is trying to talk to him, but with no success. Jongin thought he might have been getting better these past few days, albeit slowly, but still better. Jongin had thought wrong.

 

The curtain is closed, and he has no idea what the other could be doing as he hasn’t made a sound this whole time. The only noise is the stream of the shower as it hits the porcelain in a consistent drum.

 

Jongin runs a hand through his own disheveled hair. “Dammit Chanyeol, I… I know it's hard.” He cannot help the tears that begin to well up in his eyes, “I feel regretful, too.” Jongin tries to will them back, but there is no use. Either way, if he wants his boyfriend to open up, he must do the same. He goes over to the shower, steadily pulling the curtain open. Chanyeol is huddled up in the corner of the bathtub, his knees cradled in front of him. Jongin has never seen him look so small. “But you can’t ignore everything forever…” he trails off.

 

And that is when Chanyeol breaks. 

 

His lips pull into a pout, and Jongin can see the strength he’s using not to cry. But it doesn’t help, and Chanyeol begins crying loudly, the whites of his eyes turning red as snot begins to drip from his nose. Jongin doesn’t even try to hush him. He quickly climbs into the tub, ignoring the fact that his clothes will be drenched, and gently cradles his boyfriend. He cries, too, all whilst reminding his boyfriend that it's okay to let it all out. 

 

When it's all over, Jongin helps Chanyeol out of the tub and gets them both into dry clothes. He thinks the cry might’ve relieved Chanyeol a bit because he can feel a new heat radiating off of him that he hasn’t felt in a long time. Jongin almost jumps when his knuckles warm as they brush Chanyeol’s ribs while helping him put his shirt on. 

 

Later, Kyungsoo comes over with kimchi stew and fresh gimbap. He greets them tenderly, but doesn’t hover. The food is already warm, and Kyungsoo even offers to boil them a pot of rice while he’s there. Jongin speaks with him in the kitchen, leaving Chanyeol to cuddle up on the couch with the television to keep him company. He hasn’t said much since they got out of the tub, but Jongin isn’t as worried anymore.

 

“I saw the others earlier. Told them I would stop by here,” Kyungsoo says, lowering the heat on the stove so the rice won’t stick to the pot. He turns to face Jongin, and pulls something from his back pocket. “Jongdae wanted me to give this to you guys.”  

 

It's a card with a name and a phone number on it. Jongin takes it. “Thank you. Chanyeol needs this. The professional help, I mean.”

 

Kyungsoo has a sad, but comforting look in his eyes. “I think you both do. This kind of thing is not easy to deal with on your own. I know you wanna be strong for him, but you’re only human, too.”

 

“Well, superhuman,” Jongin says, chuckling bitterly. 

 

“You know that doesn’t change anything. Try not to forget that we’ve got your back, and we’re all in this together,” he pats Jongin on the back before pulling him into a hug. Kyungsoo is shorter than him, but he makes Jongin feel smaller, somehow. “I was surprised you actually answered my text. I won’t chastise you, but I know you’ve been ignoring the world while trying to get Chanyeol to do the opposite. But we’re here for you.” Kyungsoo says the last part so firmly that it has Jongin in tears for the second time that day. He tries his best to stay quiet, not wanting to alarm Chanyeol. Kyungsoo lets him sob into his neck, rubbing soothing circles into the other’s back. 

 

By the time Jongin is finished, so is the rice. 

 

“Thank you, Kyungsoo.” He sniffs twice.

 

Kyungsoo only nods, but Jongin knows he’s saying  " _always_ ”, in his head. “I’ll let you stay here for bit, okay? Let me set the food out for you guys, and then I’ll leave quietly.” 

 

Kyungsoo has always been so considerate. 

 

When Jongin feels like his eyes aren’t so puffy anymore, he goes into the living room. He finds Chanyeol sitting on the floor, cross legged in front of the coffee table. Kyungsoo did exactly what he said he would. Jongin didn’t even hear the door shut. 

 

There is something new about the scene before him. Chanyeol is smiling fondly in a genuine way Jongin hasn’t witnessed for a long time. 

 

“I’ve missed Kyungsoo,” he says. Jongin sits beside him, and Chanyeol pushes a bowl of rice towards him. Jongin realizes the other hasn’t touched any of the food, meaning he must have been waiting for him to start eating. “I’ve missed all of them,” he continues, reaching for a pair of chopsticks.

 

The words send a dull ache to Jongin’s chest. He realizes he’s been somewhat selfish in his attempt at helping his boyfriend. Not only that, but he was punishing himself when he ignored his friends. It is their help that Chanyeol needed along. The both of them need it. 

 

Jongin watches his boyfriend eat. A musical plays on the television, and Chanyeol loves those. The expression on his face is one of content that Jongin hasn’t seen from him in a long time. Jongin knows it will be hard, but they will get through it together.

  
  


_ I can’t make you let go~  _

 

They start to go out more.

 

First, it's calm walks around the park. They’re always hand in hand, and Chanyeol’s grip gets a bit too tight, sometimes. It’s never too hot, though, so Jongin doesn’t mind. 

They start to hang out with friends as well. The pace had been gradual, at first. Kyungsoo had invited their entire friend group over for dinner the first time they had all reunited. Jongin felt grateful when he realized how good his friends are at not making things awkward. Chanyeol laughed and smiled brightly amongst everyone, and so followed Jongin.

 

He realized this is exactly what they needed when he found Baekhyun on his back, begging him for piggyback rides via teleportation, his dramatized excitement allowing the lights in Kyungsoo’s living room to glimmer. Kyungsoo and Jongdae were in the kitchen, and Jongin could hear the latter whining as the two bickered about the best way to use a rice cooker. Chanyeol sat in the corner of the couch, legs crossed as if he had the space while he watched the scene with a giggling Sehun. 

 

“Hyung!” Sehun had whined, practically throwing his too large body into Chanyeol’s lap. “Warm me up. I’ve missed your hugs.” The both of them could hardly make it work on Kyungsoo’s two seater couch, but somehow Chanyeol does, happily opening his arms up to their maknae of the friend group. 

Although Chanyeol is not as distant, there is still pain.

 

They both see two separate psychologists who are superhuman like them. It was the reference that Jongdae had sent them with the card Kyungsoo delivered. The founder and owner of the the facility, Kim Junmyeon, is a brightly faced man with a dazzling, but sincere smile. He’s Chanyeol’s counselor, however, a complete power contrast because of his control in the element of water. Jongin still finds it fitting when he thinks about how instantly refreshed he felt upon meeting the man. Jongin’s therapist goes by the name of Zhang Yixing, and he is a healer, which is also fitting.

 

Therapy is a bit harder for him to get through. Surprisingly, it was initially hard for Jongin, too. In the beginning, Jongin could sense how much energy each session took from Chanyeol. Jongin’s issue was figuring out whether he was allowed to feel sad when his boyfriend felt so much worse. Jongin knew that Chanyeol blamed himself for everything. However, as time passed, the punishing thoughts began to heal.

The couple are laid out on a quilt in the park, watching the clouds move past them without purpose. The weather is getting chillier, so they won’t be able to have too many walks in the park soon. They’ve been going to therapy for three months now. A lot of progress has been made since then.

 

“I can still remember the look on his face. Right before he took his last breath,” Chanyeol suddenly says. They have just got out from one of their sessions, and decided to have a picnic before the winter decided to settle in. Jongin adjusts himself so he is lying on his side. He expects to see the pained look that has gotten all too familiar on Chanyeol’s face. However, his boyfriend remains completely relaxed. “He smiled at me, Jongin. H-he thanked me. How could he thank me when I didn’t do what I was supposed to do?” Jongin watches as a stray tear begins to trickle down Chanyeol’s cheek. He’s still facing the sky, and Jongin cannot help but think he’s never encountered a being more precious than Chanyeol.

 

“He thanked you because he knows you tried. Your heart is good, Chan. He died knowing that.”

 

Chanyeol sits up, and Jongin tries to hide his shock when his boyfriend his giving him kiss. For the first time in a long time, Chanyeol looks like he believes him. Jongin knows he cannot make Chanyeol let go of what happened. Time works in its own way. Chanyeol doesn’t have the ability to stop a bullet, or heal a dying man. But Jongin is sure as hell not gonna let him let go of who he’s meant to be, and what he’s meant to do.

 

He’s glad Chanyeol isn’t gonna let go of him, either.

  
  


_ Baby tell me that you’ve still got the flame~  _

 

They’re on their way home after spending time with their friends at Jongdae’s house. Its finally winter, and colder than ever. Flurries keep flying into their eyelashes, but Chanyeol wants to walk home despite Jongin’s offer to teleport them. It doesn’t bother Jongin. They’re hand in hand, and the warmth from Chanyeol radiates into his gloves. Chanyeol’s face is tinted red; a sign of the cold, and the laughter that the pair share. 

 

“Kyungsoo’s face was priceless,” Chanyeol says. “But I honestly didn’t see it coming, either. Did you?”

 

Jongin shakes his head, silently bathing in the mirth expressed by his boyfriend. He thinks back to how they were all gathered behind the counter in Jongdae’s kitchen: Sehun, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Jongin, watching Jongdae argue with no one other than Kyungsoo. This was nothing new to any of them, and at this point, the occurrence has become a source of entertainment for all of them, besides probably Kyungsoo himself.

 

_ “This is my kitchen, Do Kyungsoo. One that's also bigger than yours, at that.” Jongdae had sported a smug grin on his face, enjoying the moment more than anyone else. “So, I’m the boss.” _

 

_ Kyungsoo had rolled his eyes at that, pulling up the ends of his too-long sleeves for the millionth time that night. “Regardless, I’m still the better cook. Size doesn’t matter anyway.” _

 

_ Jongdae’s grin had gotten even wider. “Says you,” he quipped. “I’m superior in the kitchen.” He gathered a spoonful of what looked to be bean paste, and mixes it into the broth for the soup they were supposed to be making. “Oh.. and in size,” he added with a wink. _

 

_ Baekhyun and Chanyeol both burst out laughing at this remark, relishing in the Kyungsoo’s faint humiliation as the tips of his ears redden, and enjoying the overall inappropriate nature of the joke. Chanyeol had laughed so hard, he threw himself onto the ground and began slapping the tile in his signature, exaggerated way. Jongin’s heart had warmed, appreciating a sight that has been becoming more familiar as time passes.  _

 

_ “It's okay, Hyung! We know all know the truth,” Sehun had said to Kyungsoo encouragingly, trying to hold back his own laughter.  _

 

_ “First of all,” Kyungsoo started, “you just put sweet red bean paste into the soup, not soybean paste, idiot.” He bumped Jongdae out of the way in an attempt to fix the meal. “Also, we both know I’m the bigger one, here.” _

 

_ The laughter grew stronger with that response, and whether or not they were laughing at him, or because they thought he was funny seemed to mean nothing to Kyungsoo when Jongdae’s started to whine. _

 

_ “That was totally soybean paste, I read the container!” _

 

_ “I’m not surprised you can’t read, either. You almost ruined the soup.” _

 

_ “I think it's time for you to start respecting adventurous chefs, Kyungsoo. Who says it has to be ruined!” _

 

_ “Why are you so loud? Stop yelling when you talk. Even though you live in a house, I bet the next door neighbors can hear you.” _

 

_ “I can be loud if I want. Find a way to stop me if it bothers you.” _

 

_ “Find your own way.” _

 

_ “Fine!”  _

 

_ Next thing everyone knew, Jongdae was kissing Kyungsoo.  _

 

“That really was wild,” Jongin chuckles. Their friends are talented at being a charming crowd, all on their own.

 

Jongin peeks up at Chanyeol, wanting to catch a glimpse of his smile again, but instead, there is a frown. Jongin almost worries that he’s said something wrong, but then he notices where Chanyeol’s attention is drawn to. The sound of a whimper.

 

It's a puppy, curled up in a bed of snow. The closer they get to it, the more they realize how small it is. They quickly decipher her as a girl when Chanyeol manages to pick her up. She doesn’t put up much of a fight. She’s frostbitten, and Jongin thinks it's a good idea for Chanyeol to be holding her. 

 

“I think her leg is broken,” Chanyeol says, worry spread across his facial features. “We’ve got to get her help. Take her to the animal hospital or something.”

 

Jongin has a better idea, having thought of the first person to come to mind.

 

Yixing heals her in no time. Jongin now feels grateful to have been given his address.

 

“If you guys weren’t there to provide her with instant warmth, and transport her over here in the time that you did, I don’t believe she would have made it.”

 

Jongin stares in awe at the puppy who is curled up in Chanyeol’s lap as he feeds her a banana. Yixing reassured them that that was something dogs can safely eat, seeing as he has no pet food. Jongin has been Yixing’s client for months, and he’s seen him heal dead plants,which is amazing in itself, but never anything to the extent of what he’s been able to witness tonight. It took less than a minute for the puppy to completely heal, then suddenly, she’s bouncing around and wagging her tail. 

 

“What are you guys going to do with her?” Yixing asks.

 

Jongin watches fondly as Chanyeol keeps her company. His boyfriend looks over at him and smiles. “We should give her a warm bath. I’m sure she really needs it.” 

 

Jongin knows just the answer. 

 

_ And we can let it burn~   _

 

“Let's go on a walk, Nuni. You can wear the new sweater we got you,” Jongin says to his and Chanyeol’s puppy. She happily approaches him when she catches sight of the leash in his hand. Chanyeol had given her the name, proudly declaring it was because they found her in the snow. Jongin finds it adorable, especially because Nuni is is actually brown and white. 

 

Before Jongin can even attach the leash to her collar, Chanyeol is calling for the pup, patting his knees from where he sits on the couch. “Hi Nuni. You’re the cutest girl I know.”

 

“Excuse me, I was trying to put on her leash,” Jongin says, feigning annoyance. 

 

Chanyeol only grins. “Bring it here. I’ll put it on her,” he offers, goodnaturedly. 

 

The mood in the room changes when a breaking news announcement interrupts whatever program was playing on the T.V.

 

Firetrucks, policeman, and an image of one of the biggest buildings in the city on fire. 

 

Chanyeol slowly sets down the leash, paying attention to the details the frantic news reporter recites in front of her cameraman. 

 

The situation is bad, and when Jongin receives a text from Kyungsoo, he knows his friends will be joining the scene.

 

“I’m sorry, Nuni. I guess we’ll have to take care of you later, okay?”

 

Jongin looks up from his phone, and watches as Chanyeol pets their puppy before putting down the leash, and standing up.

 

“You sure you want to do this?” Jongin asks, searching Chanyeol’s face for any uneasiness. Chanyeol gulps, but Jongin can see a glint in his eyes. Its an expression he hasn’t witnessed in a long time.

 

“It's now or never.”

 

Jongin approaches his partner, grabbing onto his hand, ready to take them to their next destination. 

 

Chanyeol is ready.

 

They’re ready.

 

Jongin has never felt a heat so strong. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So 'nun' is Hangul for the word snow, which I thought would be really cute for 'Nuni'


End file.
